Associate
Hi we are in desperate need of help. Our neighbours had work done to their house 6 months ago and since then we are being woken up multiple times during the week. We approached them but they will not entertain that the problem is them. So at a huge expense hired sound engineering company to monitor our home for 7 days. We did this twice. The conclusion is below.
Does anyone have any advice /recommendation of how we can soundproof our home or block the vibration to our property? The neighbours refuse to speak to us about it and they are very wealthy so any litigation is untenable. It is ruining our lives and we only just purchased what we thought would be our forever home. We are not only sleep deprived but absolutely heartbroken and have no idea what to do.
The conclusion from the report we had are set out below.
Over the 7 nights measured it can be clearly seen that there is noise being generated within the bedroom that is cyclical in nature. Although the overall level exceeds the criterion only on occasions throughout the nights, there are consistent peaks in measured level at between both approximately 21:00-22:00 and 06:30-07:30 each day. In addition to this, the cyclical events are around 10 dB above the residual level. This is a doubling of acoustical energy which can be perceptually described as the plant being twice as loud as the residual noise level when the source is not operating.
Based on the level difference against the residual noise level, the measured level being within 5 dB of the DIN45680 criterion, and the noise source being cyclical in nature we would expect that what has been measured is the source of disturbance for the residence. The methodology relied upon was to confirm whether there was any evidence to support the assertion that there was vibrational/tonal noise disturbing the householders.
The methodology relied upon was to confirm whether there was any evidence to support the assertion that there was vibrational/tonal noise disturbing the householders.
There are periods where raised noise levels occur significantly above the background noise level and could be perceived by the resident. In addition to this the cyclical nature and its relative level against the residual “background” noise level would likely cause a higher perceptibility of the noise source and increased disturbance. HT: 30997/PTM2 15 March 2024 Page 17 Given that at 40-160Hz the same pattern of raised level was apparent and audio recordings indicate the operation of equipment cycling on and off throughout the monitoring period, the issue is likely to arise from a closely connected source which operates on a cycle through the night and most of the day.
In light of those matters raised herein, the most likely cause, until it is excluded, is the neighbouring property’s plant room at the foundational level. We would recommend that further investigation is undertaken with co-operation from the neighbouring owners. Either they are not the source and therefore can be excluded and further investigations would have to be undertaken, or if they are the source, there are solutions available to mitigate the impact on the clients home.
Does anyone have any advice /recommendation of how we can soundproof our home or block the vibration to our property? The neighbours refuse to speak to us about it and they are very wealthy so any litigation is untenable. It is ruining our lives and we only just purchased what we thought would be our forever home. We are not only sleep deprived but absolutely heartbroken and have no idea what to do.
The conclusion from the report we had are set out below.
Over the 7 nights measured it can be clearly seen that there is noise being generated within the bedroom that is cyclical in nature. Although the overall level exceeds the criterion only on occasions throughout the nights, there are consistent peaks in measured level at between both approximately 21:00-22:00 and 06:30-07:30 each day. In addition to this, the cyclical events are around 10 dB above the residual level. This is a doubling of acoustical energy which can be perceptually described as the plant being twice as loud as the residual noise level when the source is not operating.
Based on the level difference against the residual noise level, the measured level being within 5 dB of the DIN45680 criterion, and the noise source being cyclical in nature we would expect that what has been measured is the source of disturbance for the residence. The methodology relied upon was to confirm whether there was any evidence to support the assertion that there was vibrational/tonal noise disturbing the householders.
The methodology relied upon was to confirm whether there was any evidence to support the assertion that there was vibrational/tonal noise disturbing the householders.
There are periods where raised noise levels occur significantly above the background noise level and could be perceived by the resident. In addition to this the cyclical nature and its relative level against the residual “background” noise level would likely cause a higher perceptibility of the noise source and increased disturbance. HT: 30997/PTM2 15 March 2024 Page 17 Given that at 40-160Hz the same pattern of raised level was apparent and audio recordings indicate the operation of equipment cycling on and off throughout the monitoring period, the issue is likely to arise from a closely connected source which operates on a cycle through the night and most of the day.
In light of those matters raised herein, the most likely cause, until it is excluded, is the neighbouring property’s plant room at the foundational level. We would recommend that further investigation is undertaken with co-operation from the neighbouring owners. Either they are not the source and therefore can be excluded and further investigations would have to be undertaken, or if they are the source, there are solutions available to mitigate the impact on the clients home.
